Stay Golden Ponyboy
by shelbymck
Summary: This is about before Dallas dies, Ponyboy saves him but what happens to Ponyboy? Please read it will have a lot of chapters and the events take place after Johnny dies.
1. Not the end

"Stay Gold, Ponyboy. Stay Gold…" Johnny's last words kept repeating over and over in my head. Damn him! Jonny, why? Why couldn't you live, why couldn't it of been me? It was my stupid move, if I hadn't gone into that blazing church Johnny maybe wouldn't of followed. Johnny would still be alive if we hadn't gone to the movie. Then this whole mess wouldn't of happened. A cold gust of wind brings me out of my thoughts. I wrap my arms around myself and shiver, I should probably get a fire going but I don't feel like it. In fact I welcome the cold with all it has to offer, maybe if I focus on the cold it will ease some of the pain. More importantly why did I come here? I'm back in the damn park where all of this started. Darry is probably going mad wondering where I am, but I can't face anybody right now. I would break down if I had to tell people that Johnny just died. But since no one's here with me I let the tears roll down my face and the sobs escape my chest.

"Johnny, I'm so sorry. I should be the one dead, not you. Oh God Johnny," I kept talking to myself with each statement letting out another wave of tears, gasping for breath and shaking with each sob. This can't be happening, Johnny was only 16 he still had so much more to do in his life. I took in my surroundings again, but this time with more detail. I let in a shuddering breath when I realized this was where me and Johnny had spent the night before everything happened. Before everything changed. I ran here a little while after Johnny died. I couldn't stand staying in that room it suffocated me, and when I looked at Johnny's lifeless, limp body it almost brought me to my knees. Dallas was already out before I was. I knew that he had snapped, I wish I knew where he was at. I wanted to see him so bad, Dally was the only person I would be able to talk to right now. I just hope that he's not doing anything _really _stupid. He doesn't need to be going back to jail. Especially not right now, right now it's better for the whole gang to get through this together.

The sound of police sirens and breaks screeching made me jerk my head up. When I looked up I saw a man running away from two if not three police cars, he was heading in my direction. I swear that man was as tall as Dally, I couldn't see him real clear since he still was a good distance away from me. But when I saw the rest of my gang running up to met the guy, I knew for a fact it was Dallas. With out even thinking I was already on my feet running towards Dallas.

"DALLAS! What the hell is going on?" I shouted at him almost close to him. Behind me I could hear Darry and Soda yelling my name but I didn't turn around right now I was focused on getting to Dally. I got to Dally just as he stopped running and was reaching for something in his pocket. My eyes widened, it was the heater. The empty heater. But even if it was empty the cops wouldn't know that and they also wouldn't think twice about firing back with their loaded guns. The next events happened in slow motion. With Dallas finally having his heater out pointing at the police I stepped in front of him, using all of my force and weight, trying to tackle him to the ground, that way the bullets couldn't get us. I was successful, and for a short amount of time while I lied on the ground I smiled. Thanking God that Dallas wasn't shot, if he died… I couldn't even think about it.

"PONYBOY! NO!" I heard Sodapop yell a few yards away from me. I didn't answer back, I rolled over to see that the police where coming toward me and Dallas, but Dallas looked fine. Just a bit shakin' up. Dally's face was streaked with cry tears that I knew where for Johnny, his eyes where the coldest and hardest I've ever seen them. But they also had the most saddest look about them that I've ever seen in my life. It would of brought me to tears if we where alone or in a different situation. Standing up I felt stabs of pain coming from my lower chest and mid stomach. I looked down at my body and gasped in fear when I saw two bullet holes where the pain was coming from, and as soon as stood up and took a step I fell back down on the ground. I heard the gang running up next to me and Dally rolling me on my back and looking down at me.

"Put your hands behind your back!" the cops yelled while they came over the cuff Dallas.

I tried to say something but I couldn't get anything out. Darry was kneeling down next to me while Soda put my head in his lap, brushing threw my hair lightly. I looked up at them through misty eyes, that's the first time I realized I was starting to cry. They're own tears where falling down on my face as well. I looked up past them to see that Two-Bit and Steve where still standing but they where on the break of tears as well.

"J-Johnny's dead," I finally got the words out, it seemed to take all of my strength but I finally said something. They didn't respond to that they just kept comforting me and yelling at the cops to get help or do something, but they where to focused on Dallas.

"PONYBOY! You're such an idiot! Why did you do that?" I turned my head to see Dallas struggling against the cops cursing them and cursing me.

"Damn it Ponyboy! Why? You have Brothers!" He kept shouting but when the police where starting to move him to get into their car that's when I got scared. They can't take him away. I have to talk to him before it's to late.

"No, please don't. let me talk to him. Please," I barely whisper the words to the cops. I have a feeling they didn't hear me so Steve went over to them, said something to convince them to walk Dally over to me. With the gang huddled around me, for once I had nothing to say. I just lied there staring up at them, hoping Two-Bit would break the silence like he always does, but this time he had nothing to say.

"Darry? Soda?" I finally break the silence but saying there names.

"Yeah Pony?" Soda replies back, I know Darry's listening he just can't talk right now.

"I-I want you to know that I love you guys. So much. I'm so sorry Darry. For everything mean I've ever said to you or did. And Soda you and Darry have to stick together from now on. It's just gonna be you two now," as I said that last sentence it dawned on me that this is actually the end for me. I'm dying. I wonder if this is how Johnny felt when he talked to me. There's a strange peacefulness to it, oddly.

"No Pony. Don't talk like that your going to be okay," Darry finally spoke up through soft sobs.

"Come on Ponyboy you can make it please don't do this. You can't leave me and Darry by ourselves," Soda said but he wasn't hiding his cries, he was hunched over me and I could feel his hands shaking as he kept brushing threw my hair.

"You'll have the gang. You'll always have the gang," I say back.

"But it's not the same without you," more of his tears fall on my face.

"Dallas, you can't pull stunts like that again. Johnny wouldn't of wanted it, and you know it. Please for Johnny's sake don't try something like that again. Next time you actually will be dead." I try to turn my head towards Dallas but it takes to much energy so I just settle on looking up.

"I won't Ponyboy, I'm sorry," he says through a shaky voice. I smile and try to make eye contact with everyone.

"Don't be sad over me. I'm just happy that I actually got to be buds with all of you before my time came," I say in a raspy voice. Darry Clinches my hang tight and I just lay there. Waiting. Waiting for it to finally be over.

"Darry, stay with me. Please, I'm scared." I whisper threw a shuddering breath.

"I'll stay with you till the end," he kisses my forehead letting out a stream of tears. I smile up at him and mouth my thanks. Once again I look around me taking in my whole gang, all of them have tear trails on their faces. They next time I look up I see something surprising.

"Dally, I can see him. I see Johnny," I tell him not breaking eye contact with Johnny.

Johnny is standing right in front of my feet smiling down at me. He looks so good, his burns are gone, his scares are gone. And he's walking, he's not crippled like how the doctors said he would be. And he looks happy, he looks the happiest I've ever seen him other then his last moments before the church roof collapsed on him.

"It's time to come with me Ponyboy," He tells me while holding out his hand and grinning.

"Can you see him? He's telling me it's time to go with him, I want to go with him," I tell everyone while lifting my hand up in an attempt to grab Johnny's hand.

"Go with him kid, tell him I'll always think about him and we'll all miss him," Dallas speaks up first and I nod.

"Tell mom and dad hi, while your there too Pony," Soda was next and he whispers in my ear "I love you Ponyboy."

Darry just looks down at me sobbing so much that he can't talk, I reach my hand up and whip away a tear from his face and say, "I love you two."

Finally I rest my head back down on Soda's lap and close my eyes while I take Johnny's hand.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

_Hello! I am a HUGE Outsiders fan so I decided to write a fanfic, of what would happen if Ponyboy got shot trying to save Dallas instead of Dallas getting shot. I promise this is not the only chapter. This will probably end up being a long story of events taking place after Johnny dies. Oh and for all of those people who can't stand Ponyboy dying, here's my hint for you: he DOESN'T die. If you read on you'll see what happens.__J so please keep reading and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send me your reviews. Love ya! 3_


	2. Run Don't Look Back

"Johnny?" I say in a silent voice, to frightened that if I spoke to loud I would disturb something, I don't know why I just had a strange feeling. I'm trying to look around, to find something to grab onto but all I see is darkness. I can't even see my own hands in front of me, it's strange I thought that when you died you where suppose to go to a light. Not darkness. I don't know what else to do except just stand there. If I move I'm afraid that I would get lost and Johnny would never be able to find me, I shudder at the thought. Lost in a place like this would scare me to death….well I guess I can't use that expression of term anymore seeing how I'm already dead. Wait. What did I just say? Am I actually dead? No, I can't be. This is probably just a dream and I'm going to wake up from it soon. Darry is going to be making breakfast, Soda is going to still be sleeping as usual and Dally and Johnny will be out some where doing what ever. Johnny can't really be dead. I can't really be dead. But what if I am? Oh, God what will Sodapop and Darry do? Quiet tears fall down my face, I'm so sorry guys this is all my fault. I think to myself. How could I leave them? Mom and Dad are already dead, now me? It's going to be to much. Suddenly without thinking I start sprinting, I don't care where I'm going I just want to go home…. I just want to go home.

"Ponyboy," I stop so hard that it knocks me off balance and I almost fall facedown on the ground. It's Johnny's voice, but it sounds like he's saying it in a thousand different voices but at the same time. It fills my ears, and wraps its self around me. His voice is so overpowering that I'm not even able to control my limbs.

"Johnny! I'm here! Please Johnny!" I yell through scared sobs, each word makes me take another breath in.

"It's okay Ponyboy, I'm right here," I feel a hand grab my shoulder from behind, and suddenly every square inch of darkness explodes into blinding white light. I have to cover my eyes with my hands at the first initial shock of the light, but as the minutes pass my eyes adjust and I drop my hands to my sides. I turn around slowly, and when I look up Johnny is standing there popping up his collar of his old denim jacket.

"Johnny!," I call his name as I rush over to him wrapping my arms around him in a big bear hug.

Johnny returns the hug laughing and patting my back, "it's nice to see you Pony, but not here, not like this Ponyboy," he suddenly gets serious and holds my out, grabbing me by my shoulders. "Pony, why? You still have Sodapop and Darry to look after."

My eyes get watery again, "I know, but they where going to shot Dallas, he couldn't due too. Not after we lost you Johnnycake."

"But Pony you have so much more to live for, me I had nothin I was going to be crippled. And plus I like it here it's nice, there's no more pain. No more socs and greasers."

"Johnny, where are we?" I ask in a silent voice.

"Where do you think? We're in heaven Pony," he says in a slow voice.

"Is mom and dad here? I want to see them, please Johnny!" I say suddenly getting really anxious.

"it ain't that easy Ponyboy. I had no choice, it was my time to go. But you, you still got a choice, you can come with me or you can go back and live life again. With Darry and Soda." he says shaking me slightly. "Pony it ain't your time, you need to go back. You need to be back with the gang. You need to be with your brothers."

"B-but Johnny, what about you? Come back with me," I say crying again. "please Johnny the gang needs you. We'll look after you, we'll move to the country where there's no greasers or socs. Please Johnny come back with me," I'm sobbing hard willing him to come with me.

He takes me into another hug and talks to me in my ear in a soft voice, "Pony, I can't I'm already dead, I can't go back. You have too, don't worry about me I'll be fine up here. Please Ponyboy, do it for Soda and Darry."

I hold onto him not wanting to leave but I know in my heart I should, and that I need to. He's right, I can't leave Darry and Soda. Not now.

We stand there, holding each other I was crying hard and I know that Johnny started crying to. By this time I started to realize that the brightness was beginning was starting to fade. Like a flame dying down. Waiting to finally be blown out. I grasp onto Johnny harder suddenly scared.

"Johnny, what do I do? I'm scared," I ask through clinched teeth.

"Don't be Ponyboy, just turn around and start running. You'll find your way back, I know it. What ever you do don't stop running," he says with intensity, starting to loosen his grip on me. He pulls me away and looks into my eyes, "Ponyboy tell the gang not to be sad over me and that I'll always be watching them. And more importantly tell Dally not to get hard, there's still good in the world. He needs to see that. And that I'll always miss him, but he shouldn't be to sad for me, okay Ponyboy?"

I nod.

"and you don't either Pony, live life as much as you can. And when ever you watch a sunset know that I'm watching it too, and when your watching it think of me and I'll think of you," He wipes away some of his tears that where rolling down his face. "Now, go. Start running. Don't stop, and don't look back, I'll always be watching over you. Go! Run!" he pushes me and I start running at full speed, my tears falling behind me, if I look back I would run to him again and this time I know I wouldn't get a second chance.

I've been running for what seems like days, but I'm not tired. It's dark again, and I don't know where I'm going but I know that I can't stop. With each step I take, it's a step closer to my brothers. That's the only thing that keeps me going, Soda and Derry. I want to go home I want to be with them again, I want to sleep with soda in our big bed. And for the first time ever I want Darry to tell me to use my head, and question me when I'm home past curfew. I want Dally to tell me not to pull a stupid stunt like that again, and I want Two-bit to crack some smart ass joke. I even want Steve to be annoyed with me as usually and call me a kid. I just want everything to be normal again. And I _really _want a cigarette. Just thinking about one makes me moan out loud.

"Doctor, he's stable. I think he might be waking up," I hear a stranger say. At first it's a muffle, like it's coming from miles away. But as I run closer the sounds become more clear to me, and I can smell the almost sickening smell of medicines and cleaners.

"Oh, my God. Call his brothers, don't tell them anything just tell them to get to the hospital as fast as possible," the doctor orders the nurse while inject something into a tube in my arm.

"Son? Can you here me? If you can give me a sign. Twitch your fingers or move your feet," he says like he's talking to a dog, trying to get it to obey. I'm trying so hard. But the task seems almost impossible. I order my hand to move or wiggle, but it's not responding. I try to kick my feet but they're not responding either.

"Come on son, you can do it, your brothers are on their way don't you want to be awake when they get here?" That did it. I finally will myself to twitch my fingers. When I here the doctor praise me it gives me the boost to wiggle my toes and move my feet.

"Can you open your eyes for me?" he say's slowly.

With pure willpower, I force my eyelids to move up. They fell like each one of them weighs a thousand tons. But even when they're half way open I still can't see anything. I butter my eyelashes and finally find the strength to open my eyes. My first thought is: I'm back, Johnny. I made it.

END OF CHAPTER TWO

_Hello again, this is the second chapter of my prologue to The Outsiders, ass you see Ponyboy lives…I couldn't stand it if he where to actually die:'( I think the next chapter I'll make will be the view point of Darry or Sodapop. Idk which one yet. PLEASE TELL ME WHO YOU THINK I SHOULD DO THE VIEW POINT FROM FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. And PLEASE keep reviewing me! I love all of your reviews sooooooo much!3 _


	3. Staying Together

*Darry's Narration*

Coming down from the last step of the old wooden ladder I was balancing on, I wipe away the sweat from my forehead. It's my lunch break, but I'm not hungry. I'm never hungry any more. Not even for our usual chocolate cake in the mornings. I sigh, I guess I should go home to have _something _to eat, if Soda finds out he won't say anything to me but he'll give me that expression. The expression that shows hurt and worry inside, and the last thing I want to do is make him worry even more. Every time I see that face, his eyes losing a bit of color, followed by glassiness from unfallin tears, while his mouth is set in a sharp frown. His handsome face washed over by that expression breaks my heart a little inside each time I see it. I don't even know how that's possible seeing how there's nothing left in my heart to break. After pony died-. I stop myself mid sentence. No. He's not dead. He's just asleep, that's all. In a peaceful sleep in the hospital dreaming of mom and dad and Johnny. I quickly wipe away a couple tears that escaped my eyes. Ponyboy has been in a coma for the past two and a half months. The doctor said it was a mixture of loosing to much blood, internal damage, and shock that put him in it. They patched him up during surgery, but by the time they got him to the hospital he was already to far deep in sleep to wake up. All of the doctors that have talked to me and looked him over tells me the same thing: "just pull the plug, son. There's nothing more we can do for him. And the hospital bill will be to much for you, you don't need to worry about financial problems right now in a time like this." I don't ever give them an answer I just look at them, whisper something to Pony, kiss his forehead, and leave. The gang visits him when ever they can, but lately they too, have tried to talk to me about pull the plug.

It's always starts the same with Two-Bit bringing the subject up "Darry, we all love Pony and none of us wants to see him die but…" his voice trails off.

"But what?" I ask in a hard voice, clinching my jaw in annoyance of what he's about to say.

"You see, Two-Bit is trying to say he's not…he's not going to-" Steve breaks in.

"Not going to what?" I raise my voice louder trying to make my anger clear.

"Derry…he's not going to wake up, and you know it too. You just don't want to admitte it to yourself. You need to let go, just let him go Darry," Steve finally gets out what they're thinking. Soda is in his room, where he is most of the time anyway.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH Y'ALL?" I yell at them, standing up from the table quickly so I'm looking down at them and they're forced to look up at me. It makes me feel more dominate and stronger, that's how I like it.

"Darry, listen…" Two-Bit tries to talk again.

"No, you listen, bud. That's my kid brother in there, not yours. You have no clue what I'm going through right now. And I can't believe you guys are telling me to give up on him. He's Ponyboy! I promised him I would stay with him to the end." I pound my fists on the table, "and damn it I will! I don't care how long it takes I'm stayin with him." with that I throw my dishes in the sink, not caring if they break or not. And march into my bedroom slamming the door shut, not even so much as glancing back to Steve or Two-Bit.

I still haven't visited Dallas yet. I don't think I can right now. Dallas is back in prison for robbing, I don't even know how long his sentence is. But right now I could care less. Dallas is the one that was being fired at not Ponyboy. If Dallas hadn't robbed that store or took out the heater Ponyboy would still be here. He's sent me and soda letters, but I haven't read them. I'll get to it eventually, but not now. Right now I need to put some space in between us, so I don't get to hate him.

By now I'm back at the house, I guess my train of thought put me on auto pilot. While I search through the fridge and cabinets for something small that would keep me going for the rest of the day, the phone rings. I glance at the clock, it's just about 12:48 p.m Sodapop is still working his shift, so is Steve. And Two-Bit has no reason to call me, he's still in school. But I answer is anyway.

"Hello, Curtis resident," I say in a monotone voice.

"Hello, is this Darry Curtis Jr.?" a female voice answers from the other line. I grunt in reply.

"This is Nurse Sue, from the hospital…" as soon as she says that line my hands get wet and shaky. Oh God, I think. This might be it, this might be the end. I always thought I was prepared for when I got the news that Pony had finally passed away, but here and now in the moment, I realized that nothing could prepare me if Pony died.

"Mr. Curtis we need you and your Brother, Sodapop if I'm correct, to come to the hospital admittedly," she says.

"Yes ma'am, will do," I say as I hang up on her. As soon as the phone touches some what of a surface I bolt to get my keys, run out the door and am pulling out of the drive way in record time.

As I pull up to the gas station where Soda and Steve work at I don't even get out of the car, I just pull up next to where Soda is standing, open the door and order "Get in." Soda doesn't disobey, he just turns to Steve and tells him to take over his shift. Steve doesn't even bother to question me or him. He can tell something's serious.

"Darry, what's wrong? What's going on?" Soda asks me while I speed up pushing nearly 70 mph.

"I don't know, I just got a call from the hospital telling me to get up there admittedly," I reply back to his question. He doesn't answer back so I sneak a glance from the corner of my eye. I can already see the tears welling up in his eyes, he must be thinking the same thing that I am. By the time we get there, we might be looking at a dead body of our kid brother. I put an arm around his shoulder and pull him in closer to me.

"It'll be okay Pepsi-Cola," I say his nickname dad used for him in an attempt to comfort him.

"This is it Darry, this is the end," He's whispers to me, his breath already shaky from soft sobs. I just clinch him tighter and force my own tears back. I'm the older one. I have to be tough for Soda's sake. And for my sake.

I park the car in the closest spot I could find and speed walk into the hospital with Soda by my side. When we come up to the front desk I speak up. "I'm Derry Curtis Jr., this is my brother Sodapop Curtis, we got a call from a nurse to come here."

The nurse types in something on the computer, looks up at us with a sad expression on her face and tells us to go to his room number. The look on her face pretty much confirms my thoughts. I hear Soda give a slight cry but we just keep walking to his room.

When we get there, his door is shut so I can't see anything inside. Even the curtains on the hallway windows are drawn. Just as I start to turn the handle the doctor stops me.

"Hello, Derry," He says in a smile. I just nod my head in acknowledgement.

"I'm glad you're here… as you know these last ten weeks have been hard ones, on all of us," he says very slowly drawing out each word.

"With all due respect, Doctor, can I please see my brother?" I say in frustration.

"Sure go right ahead, he's been asking for you two," with that he walks away. I didn't even have time to process as soon as he said sure I had already turned the door knob and bolted up the door with much more force then I intended.

When the door opened, all I say was Ponyboy sitting up with his back hunched over while a nurse was listening to his heartbeats. The scene seemed unreal to me. I just stayed in the doorway staring at him while I watched as Soda pushed off from the wall sprinted over to Ponyboy and hugged him in a mixture of tears of joy, sobs escaping both of them, and telling each other how much they love them. I swear the nurse was about to slap Soda clear across the face if he didn't stop being so close to Pony.

"Darry…" I heard a soft voice whisper my name. Such a familiar voice that I thought I would never hear again. As I walk over there it starts to hit me. Ponyboy is alive. I had thought that I would never see his eyes open again, or hear his sweet voice. As soon as I made my last step over to him, I plopped down on the side of his bed and wrapped him in a strong yet gentle hug. Afraid that he will break if I hugged him to tight. I could feel him crying into my chest, I also felt myself crying down his shoulder.

"Oh God Ponyboy. I thought… oh God I really thought you where dead, Pony," I say through big breaths and rivers of tears.

"I know, Darry, I know. I did too. I'm sorry," he rubs my back slightly trying to comfort me.

"Don't ever say your sorry again, Pony. You did nothin wrong," I tell him. As we hold each other I grab Soda and bring him into the hug also, so I know that we're all here together. All three of us, and I will keep it that way no matter what.

END OF CHAPTER 3

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I thought it was fun writing it to show what different emotions went on while Ponyboy was in the hospital. Again please please please keep the reviews coming, I love them so much. And tell other people about my stories so I get more feedback :D again thank you sooooooooo much for reading my stories, I think the next chapter will actually have Dallas in it, but I'm not sure yet! Please tell me what you think I should do! Thanks so much! Love ya3 _


	4. The Gang Again

*Back to Ponyboy narrating*

"This is going to sting a bit," a nurse says as she injects some kind of shot into my arm. So many nurses have came into my hospital room that I stopped trying to keep track of the names. I just lay there with my breathing tube in my nose trying to count the dots on the ceiling tiles.

"Do you need anything to eat? Is anything hurting right now?" she asks in a soothing voice.

"m-my chest hurts a lil'," I say in a husky voice while pointing to the general area.

"well that's what you get for stepping in front of a bullet," she says in a half joking half serious tone, while she starts to clean and re-wrap my bandages.

"so…" she draws out the word slowly. "Why did you do it? Save that thug, is what I mean," she finally asks.

I think for a while not saying anything. No one really asked directly why I decided to do it. They just asked me questions about what happened that night but I never really told them everything. Especially about the part where Johnny….passed away. Even though I know he's happy and all, it just hurts knowing I won't ever see him any time soon,

"Well because Dallas was my buddy. It was the right thing to do," I finally give her a solid answer it was as good of an answer as she was going to get. When she doesn't say anything back to my answer I just assumed she had dropped the subject, but when ever she was done and was about to leave she stops and turns to look at me.

"Are you ever going to tell me the real reason why you did it?" she asks in a steady voice, not so much as breaking eye contact with me.

"What's it to you? I said it was just the right thing to do, I've known Dally for years," I say back in a little annoyed voice. Why can't she just mind her business? I don't want to talk about that night, in fact I want to forget it completely but right now with here it's proving to be difficult.

"Ponyboy…I know about your friend Johnny. I saw you come rushing in to talk to him that night, I just want to know if you…well…" she can't seem to get her words out. I'm shocked that a nurse remembers a visitor so well, I'm also shocked that she knows about Johnny. Maybe she treated him once while he was in the hospital.

"What do you want to know?" I say curious of what she's trying to say.

"I guess I just want to know if you wanted to step in front of that gun. I mean it must have been hard with your friend dying and all so I just guessed that maybe you wanted to get shot that night." she finally spills what was on her mind. I think about it long, I didn't want to get shot and _definitely _wasn't planning on it, but was that what it looked like to every one else around me? That I was depressed over Johnny's death and was looking for a way out?

"No," I get out. "no that's not what happened at all. Sure if you review the facts and everything it might look like that's what I wanted to do. But it wasn't. after Johnny…died, I didn't know what else to do so I just made it over to the park. Dallas went over the edge and robbed some grocery store and the cops where after him. You see it was more Dallas wanting to get shot then me. He had a heater on him. Excuse me a gun," I corrected myself when I saw her confused expression, then went on. "But it wasn't loaded. And he knew it but cops don't know that it's not loaded so when he brought the gun out it was basically a suicide mission. But since I was at the park I tried to tackle him, but I ended up getting shot instead." when I finish she doesn't speak for a long time, probably playing out the scene in her head, like I've done so many times before.

"I don't regret it at all, if Dallas were to also die that night…" I don't finish my sentence, not knowing what I would really do myself.

"I believe you, thanks for telling me what happened," she says in a smile as the turns on her heel and starts going out the door.

"I didn't even get your name," I say just before she leaves.

"It's Nancy," she says and with one last smile she walks out the door. Nancy. That's a pretty name, I think to myself. Maybe I'll see her again around the hospital. With that thought kept in my head I slowly start to doze off into a light, peaceful sleep.

"Pony, hey Pony," a soft Sodapop's voice wakes me up with a gentle shake of my shoulder.

"Soda?" I say tiredly.

"Yeah it's me buddy," he says with a grin. "I brought some people here to see you."

"What? What kinda people?" I ask in a slurred voice still a little out of it from the sleep.

"Glory kid, how can you still be tired?" I hear Two-Bit's joking voice from the door frame.

"Two-Bit, is that you?" I say, now a bit more awake trying to scoot up in the bed a little.

"Pony, it's okay don't try to get up," I hear Darry's voice beside my bed.

"Yeah, it's me Pony, Steve's also here but he's down in the gift shop looking for somethin for you," he says. "Man, I really thought you were a goner Ponyboy, it scared us to death." His voice is low and a little unsteady, I look up at him to see that his hands are shoved in his jacket pockets and he's trying not to cry. I can tell by the glossiness of his eyes.

"Two-Bit?" I ask him in a soft voice.

"Yeah kid?"

"Do you happen to have any hair grease on you?" I say in a slow voice.

He laughs, and finally allows one single tear to fall down his face, but the rest he wipes away, "Nah, not right now but I'll make sure to bring you some next time."

I smile and say my thanks. I hear a knock on the wall and see Steve come in with a couple of books in his hands.

"Ponyboy! Thank God your alive! We where determined you where gonna sleep for the rest of your life," he says while sitting down on the side of my bed with a bounce. He ruffles my hair and mutters something about the stupid color starting to wash away.

"It's so good to see you Pony, we seriously thought you were done for," he says in a rough voice. He clears his throat, "I got you some books from the gift shop downstairs."

I smile at him in egger to see what they are.

"Thanks Steve, it's pretty boring around here.

"Yeah, I don't know how you stand it Pony I would probably go crazy with nothing to do but sleep," Soda says.

"Yeah right, if it weren't for us that's all you would be doing at the house," Steve says and we all laugh in agreement.

"So, do you hurt at all Pony?" Two-Bit speaks up.

I sigh, "yeah, at the most of times, but I get use to it. The nurses usually keep me drugged up so I will either go to sleep or be to out of my mind to feel anything," I say.

Everyone's silent for a minute before I add in, "but it's better when you guys are here."

They all smile and Steve is about to say something when a nurse comes in, "I'm sorry guys but you have to leave, he needs to rest and besides he still is in ICU so you can't drain him of energy he doesn't have," she says in a smooth voice.

"See ya later Pony," Steve says while he walks out.

"I'll bring some hair grease next time Kido," Two-Bit says before he takes his leave.

"We'll be back soon Ponyboy," Darry says, and Soda hugs me and leaves.

As the nurse inserts some medicine into my tube, and starts at recline my bed, I smile to myself thinking of how good it was to see the gang, but the very last thing that was on my mind was Dallas.

END OF CHAPTER 4

_Hi there again, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please keep sending me your reviews, I love them :D and always keep reading my stories!3 you! I think I have a good plot developing in my mind, but send me some feed back to tell me what you think I should do next. The plot I don't think will start showing till the next couple chapters, till Ponyboy is out of the hospital. But please send me feedback on what you think I should do ! Thanks!_


	5. Good Ol' Dallas

"Watch where you're going you filthy greaser," I hear a Soc snap at me as we bump shoulders. I don't say anything, but man would I love to. I would have said something if I wasn't in this bad of shape. If we where to get into a fight I would be in big trouble. I clinch my middle as the pain from the impact made itself noticeable. I've been in the hospital for a few weeks now, but the healing is taking so long. I hate being stuck in that hospital. At first it was fine but now I've gotten so bored that even books will barely satisfy my need for entertainment. Everyone still visits to see how I'm doing but they have stuff they need to do rather then visit with me all day. And boy, would I give anything for a cigarette. I'm not allowed to have them since I'm recovering and even if the doctors did allow me, Darry would skin me alive if he caught me smoking right now. I smile a little. Ever since I've been in the hospital Darry has been more protective then ever. Man, sometimes I thought he was gonna spend the night on the hospital bed next to me from how long he's there most of the time. My smile left my face quickly as I thought about how worried he's going to be with me when I get back. I had no chose. I-I really didn't. You see I haven't seen Dally ever since I got shot, and to be honest I don't even think he knows I'm alive. I've asked about him but everyone just says he's in prison and when I ask if they've heard anything from him they just say he's sent letters but they don't care enough to write back. It makes me upset that the gang has turned their shoulder on Dallas. I mean it was sorta his fault but I'm the one that decided to step in front for him. Sure if he hadn't been so stupid to pull a stunt like that in the first place then this wouldn't of happened but I'm the one who made the decision to do something about it. They shouldn't think of Dallas differently, I'll tell them that the next time I get an opportunity to. But I need to focus on my goal right now. I'm on my way to the local prison to visit Dally. I snuck out of the hospital. I know it was a stupid thing to do, but I had the plan and everything. Today is Tuesday, a visiting day. You get about thirty minutes to talk to one of the inmates depending on their behavior. Back at the hospital I told a nurse I needed to go to the bathroom, since I had been there for weeks she figured I knew my way around the building. Unfortunately for her I did. As soon as she turned her head I rushed off to the room where they keep the patients personal items or clothes. I looked up my name and found a bin with the clothes they brought me here in. My shirt was totally destroyed with bullet holes in it, stained with blood and turn up from where the ER doctors had cut it in a rush to try to save me. But luckily the bin that was right next to mine had a tuff looking black leather jacket, at that point I really didn't care the size I just wanted to change and get on my way so I wouldn't get caught. I quickly but gently slipped on my jeans that a few blood spots and, I slid on my converse waiting to tie them till I got outside. I then pulled on the leather jacket and zipped it up from my lack of having no shirt, and wanting to hide all evidence of my fully gazed chest and stomach. I put my hospital gown in my bin so it would be there when I got back, hoping that I wouldn't be caught, but knowing that the chances are I will. I causally walked down the hospital hallways and into the main lobby, marveling in the feel of regular clothes. I had been in the damn hospital gown for about three or four weeks. And this leather jacket fit me pretty well, I bet I looked pretty tuff in it too but I didn't have the time to stop and look at myself in a reflection. I might just have to keep this jacket. There's a perfect place in my hospital room where I could hid it, but I don't feel like getting into that much trouble if I were to get caught. I'll decide on what I'll do for when I get back. As soon as I got outside the hospital I got on the city bus and waited for my stop, and that's where I am now. Glory, when that Soc made that comment I had remembered how long it's been since I've been to the outside world. They're still the Socs, and we're still the Greasers. No matter what it's not going to change. Even after that big rumble. I wonder what it's like now. If the socs are keeping on their territory, I doubt it. I won't be surprised if they still jump us or if we still get into rumbles. I shake my head. Don't think about that right now focus on what you're going to say to Dallas, I tell myself as I walk into the jail house.

"Can I help you?" a secretary asks me as I approach the front desk.

"Yes, I'm here to visit someone," I inform the lady clearly.

"May I ask who it is?"

"Dallas. Dallas Winston." I say in the same clear voice. She get's a sheet of paper out and a pen and starts writing stuff down, I guess for filing and such.

"Please state your name and age," she says to me ready to write down the information I'm about to give her.

"Ponyboy Curtis, 14 years old," she looks at me funny, probably thing it's a fake name, but I don't care I get that a lot. She calls someone on the telephone giving them information they need to get Dallas.

"The visiting room is down that hall three doors to your left," she points the hall out and I nod my thanks.

As I enter the room, I notice it's one of those that have the glass windshield dividing the visitor and inmate, un-allowing any physical contact, just a hole in it midway so we can hear each other. I sit down in on of the visiting boxes and wait for Dallas to be escorted to me. While waiting I think about what I'm going to tell him. Should I tell him everything? Should I tell him about my experience with seeing Johnny? Or would he think I was crazy. I haven't told anyone about me and Johnny's conversation. I guess because I'm afraid that people would think I was nuts. But maybe Dally would understand. I hear the open and closing of a door and I snap my head up. I see a policeman walking Dallas over to my seat, but they're still a few other visiting boxes away from mine. Dallas is looking down so I doubt if he sees me yet, as soon as the police man and Dallas makes it to my box the police man informs me, "you got fifteen minutes. That's all for today." As Dallas slides into his chair he slowly looks up to see me. That's when I saw how bad he's been. His eyes where cold. Ice cold, and stone hard. And he had this lifeless look to him. It was the worst I've ever seen him before.

"P-Ponyboy? Is that you?" he asked, looking at me like I was a ghost. His eyes were about to pop out of their sockets and his mouth was gaped open in shock.

I grinned, "Yeah Dally, it's me," I say in a smooth voice.

"What? Pony I thought you were dead! How are you alive? Just how?" His voice came up to a yelling surprised, I looked at the cop who was keeping guard and I saw he was paying more attention.

"Shhh. Shhh. Calm down Dallas, or else the cop will haul you off," I gestured to the police man. That made Dallas quiet down quickly so I continued.

"Believe me I thought I was dead too. But I aint, I was in a coma for about two, three months. But I got out of it, everyone else thought I was a goner too," I told him.

"But you were shot Ponyboy, I saw it with my own two eyes." he says in almost a whisper as if trying to convince himself that that was what really happened.

"I did," I say as I unzipped the black jacket showing him the gazes that covered up the shot wounds.

"Glory kid, what the hell are you doing here then? You should be in the hospital," he said urgently.

"To hell with that damn hospital, I'm tired of it I was asleep in there for three months and now I'm in recovery for another two months," I say bitterly.

"If your still in recovery for the next two months how are you here?" he asked in a curious tone.

I smiled devisaly, "I snuck out," I said in a proud voice.

He looked at me for a second with an odd expression on his face, then broke out into hysteric laughter he just went on laughing for the past five or ten minutes solid, to the point where I started to laugh. I don't know why we where laughing but it felt good to just talk to him and laugh with him again.

"But," he said finally getting his breath back from laughing so hard, "That jacket sure does look tuff on you."

"You think so? It's not even mine, it was in the bin next to my stuff, poor son of a gun will be out of a jacket from now on," again that made Dallas and me laugh and laugh till we couldn't even breath.

The cop came over and was starting to stand Dally up while grunting, "Times up."

"It was nice seein' you kid, nice to know your alive," He said with a smile. Boy did he look different from when he first came into this room. His eyes where still cold and hard but you can tell he had more life put back in him.

"You too Dallas, I'll make the gang visit you even if I have to act really sick and tired," I say with a joking smile.

He laughed but not as hard as before, "it sure would be nice to see them, but I understand if they don't want to see me," he said with a guilty look on his face. By now the cop had Dallas all the way up and was walking him back to the door that went to the ceils. Then a voice pops into my head. Johnny's voice, and I remember what he wanted me to tell Dallas.

"Dallas!" I yell his name loud praying that he'll hear.

"Yeah Ponyboy?"

"Johnny says not to be sad over him, and that he'll always be watching you and miss you!" I yell everything to Dallas hoping that he won't think I'm crazy.

Dally stops dead in his tracks even with the cop urging him on, he turns around and makes eye contact with me. Without saying a word he looks at me straight in the eyes and nods, then turns around and walks out the door. I smile thinking that I did a good deed to Dallas. Maybe he can sleep better knowing that. With that thought in my mind I start walking out the door to the visiting room and start making my way back to the hospital. Boy, I'm going to be in so much trouble when I get back.

END OF CHAPTER FIVE

_Hey guys. I'm sooooooo sorry I haven't wrote in a long time I was sick the week before Thanksgiving and then I went out of town for Thanksgiving but I'm back now and ready to continue the book. Please keep reviewing I can't tell you enough how much I love them, thank you so much they are the best and I will update soon! (sooner then last time :p) 3_


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